Tag Archives: gasification boiler

The biomass degressions for both the non domestic and domestic Renewable Heat Incentive were announced at the start of June to come into force on the 1 July.

What has happened in June?

The first week of June was possibly our busiest ever week for selling wood pellet boilers to installers in Wales, Scotland and the North of England. This was mainly for the installer to be able to get the boiler in time to install it before the rate changes on 1 July.

Roger and Steve went out to Bulgaria early in June for annual training and an update on the NES product range. There will be some new log gasification boilers being added to the Pyroburn range as MCS accredited boilers. These will be affordable and without a Lambda sensor. 18, 25, 30 and 40kW.

There are many other upgrades, and we will release details when they become live.

Once back in the UK we attended the Eco Technology Show in Brighton. This was located at the Amex Stadium, home of Brighton and Hove Albion.

We exibited a 40kW wood pellet boiler (Pelleburn) with a 1500l thermal store. Perhaps our 2 best selling items. Fantasic weather over the week, finishing with a thunder storm on the way home.

At the show there were many interesting talks, and the panel discussion around meeting the 2020 targets for emissions reduction was the best attended. Caroline Lucas chaired the panel. One part of the discussion was that the RHI funding is to finish in 2017, and the total installations to date do not help the UK reach the targets for renewable heating without more funding. There is a new energy minister, Amber Rudd, who is yet to comment on the RHI, we will have to wait and see.

We were also near to the Center of Alternative Energy Stand. They have produced a document “Zero Carbon Britain, rethinking the future”, which I am busy reading at the moment. They do emphasise the need to improve the thermal quality of buildings and also point out that there are limits to “growing” biomass as there are competing demands for land. (Personally I do think that there can be better woodland management and co-ordination on a local scale to produce chip, pellet and log products. I also think that there will be substitute materials for biomass that can also be fuels. e.g. waste from anearobic digestion, recycled coffee granuals, straw, etc, all of which there is work towards meeting a standard at the moment). However the point is clear – if we want to reduce CO2 and CO emissions for heat then we are about 20% of the way there at the moment and 5 years to go.

After Brighton I went up to Scotland – firstly surveying a possible 160kW installation in Dumfries and Galloway with DMS Energy, after which of to Oban and Ferguson Energy, where I looked at a number of installations that had been running for some time, including the Bunkhouse on the Isle of Mull.

What struck me was, despite the rain, the area was beautiful and ideal for biomass. For homes the Pyroburn (log boiler), works very well as fuel can be plentiful.

What is the best way to get from Oban to Aboyne (near Aberdeen)? Up, underneath or through the Cairngorms? I went under and found the road shut (big detour), then on my return I went through and found the road shut (another detour), so perhaps the best route is above! I did, however, find Sugplumb Ltd very accomodating. They are also fitting a lot of renewables at the moment. I did notice the trees during my scenic drive!

After a brief pitstop in Blackford I went down to Oiline Ltd near to Colne, Skipton and Keithley. They have been installing mainly pellet boilers into an area that seems to be more rural than the Cairngorms. Certainly the roads are no better!

There do seem to be fewer trees in this part of North Yorkshire, however I do know that Oil Line are completing a Pyroburn log gasification boiler at the time of writing.

What remains of June for many is getting the RHI applications in before the deadline. We will be making further visits out to see boilers in early July.

In the UK the introduction of the Renewable Heat Incentive has meant that the definition of biomass fuel has become more difficult to understand. The main driver for this are the emissions that the boilers have in addition to CO2 being of acceptable levels.

These limits are 30 grams per gigajoule (g/GJ) net heat input for particulate matter and 150g/GJ for NOx.

Each boiler range has to be tested with the fuel that is going to be used within it. Each fuel has a definition.

Wood Pellets

Pellets are the most straightforward for a homeowner as there is an ENPlus quality standard market on bagged pellets or on the website of the pellet producer.

All accredited wood pellet boilers have been tested to a European Standard EN303-5, met the standards of the UK Microgeneration Certification Scheme, and have a valid emissions certificate. Key to this is that the boilers were tested on ENplus pellets. So these are the only pellets that you can buy and use. To claim your RHI you will have to keep records and be able to show that you are burning ENplus pellets.

Wood Pellet Boiler Product Example

Pelleburn 15kW wood pellet boiler will burn ENplus pellets only. When it does this it has been tested to show 9g/GJ for Particulate Matter and 81g/MJ for Nox. You can find a copy of the emissions certificate here. http://rhieclist.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/NES_PLB_RHI.pdf

Wood logs

Logs are measured by moisture and by whether they are “virgin” or used. This potentially creates 4 categories.

Virgin timber – Very dry or kiln dried logs or logs with less than 25% moisture

Wood burns much better and cleaner when the wood is dry. The testing process and regulations ensures that if you buy and use a log boiler you take care of what you put in it. For instance the following are attractive, but not allowable

Newly cut timber in excess of 25% moisture. Fuel that you “find” in woods, or offcuts from timber merchants, or branches from a tree surgeon. This fuel will not burn well. You do not get the heat but your neighbours get the smoke.

MDF, Chip board or painted wood may burn, but it gives off lots of fumes. Unless there are very specific cleaning processes within the boiler to deal with paints and glues then the fumes produced will be toxic. This category of fuel (B2) cannot be burnt in the majority of boilers, and certainly no domestic or small boilers.

Logs can transformed into wood chip and sawdust and is subject to the same categories as above. Wood chip is generally quite bulky, so produced in local areas rather than pellets at one or two places. It varies in quality and next year (2015) suppliers will need to state that their fuel meets both a moisture standard and has no contaminants. We are excited about our new boiler The CB 160 which will shortly be released into the UK market.

Sawdust does not burn well and can cause back burning (fire can go back through the fuel delivery mechanism) boilers will specifically state whether they can burn sawdust or not. For instance the Catfire range of chip boilers can burn sawdust and has a mechanism to prevent backburning of sawdust.

Sawdust or shavings can also be made into briquettes easily (and pellets, but not so easily) that can burn very well and burn in most boilers.

As part of understanding the moisture content of the wood you would need to have an adequate storage and inspection process. For instance with pellets you need to check that there is not too much sawdust. For wood you will need to store so that the wood can mature. For chip you will need to keep it for a short period to ensure that it does not compost. Other than pellets, you will need to get a moisture meter to make sure that your wood is less than 25%.